


Red and Green Should Never Be Seen

by Zeplerfer



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Alternate Universe - Hogwarts, Battle of Hogwarts, Giants, Gryffindor America, M/M, Magic, Pottertalia, Slytherin England, Teenage sexual exploration, Werewolves
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-25
Updated: 2014-12-25
Packaged: 2018-03-03 09:07:37
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,534
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2845592
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zeplerfer/pseuds/Zeplerfer
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Alfred and Arthur struggle to hide their forbidden relationship in the dark days after Voldemort's return. But Arthur is keeping secrets, and as the war draws closer to Hogwarts, Alfred begins to doubt the allegiance of his Slytherin boyfriend...</p>
            </blockquote>





	Red and Green Should Never Be Seen

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Lisacreature](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lisacreature/gifts).



> Part of the 2014 Secret Santa Exchange!

_Red_

The castle hallways were silent as Alfred breathlessly raced from Gryffindor House to the nearest stairwell and dashed down the steps, taking them two at a time. He didn't care if he was running through the corridors at a reckless speed. He had spent half an hour waiting for the caretaker and his stupid cat to stop prowling the corridors near Gryffindor, and now he was going to be late.

Crisp autumn air greeted Alfred as he dashed outside into the castle courtyard. He took a deep breath and continued to jog toward the school's greenhouses. The flagstones sparkled beneath a half moon, giving him enough light to find his way without illuminating his wand. He certainly didn't want to risk attracting the attention of the teachers who patrolled the castle walls. Still undetected, Alfred grinned when he finally reached the herbology classroom several minutes later and spotted the lean figure impatiently waiting for him near the doorway.

Arthur's bright eyes flashed in the moonlight, perfectly matching the hue of his Slytherin scarf. "You were _supposed_ to be here fifteen minutes ago," he noted tartly.

"I know." Alfred winced apologetically, trying to keep his voice low as he joined Arthur next to a table of pretty purple Wolfsbane flowers. "But it keeps getting harder to sneak out! They've definitely upped the number of patrols near Gryffindor."

"Trying to stop the troublemakers at their source, I suppose," Arthur replied with a shrug, before flashing Alfred a look of concern. "You should be careful."

"Me? I'm always careful." Alfred grinned cockily as he pulled Arthur closer. "Careful not to leave hickeys where someone might seem them..."

"Hold that thought," Arthur said with a chuckle as he grabbed a few seeds from the table. While Alfred watched in confusion, Arthur dropped the seeds in the doorway and pulled a needle out of his pocket. He pricked his finger with the needle and let a few drops of blood fall to the ground. Wherever the blood hit the dirt, thorny brambles sprang up and grew rapidly, latching on to the sides of the doorway as they created a thick barrier between the classroom and the outside world.

Alfred's eyes widened. "Is that... blood magic?"

"Don't step too closely," Arthur warned, ignoring the question. He used a small amount of salve to heal his finger before he slipped the needle back into his pocket.

"No, seriously. What is that stuff? It looks evil."

Arthur shrugged. "The Vampbriars feed on blood. It should give us a distraction if anyone comes nosing about." He caught the concerned look on Alfred's face and added defensively, "Magic isn't good or evil, Alfred. It's how you use it that matters."

"I dunno..." Alfred frowned. "That seems pretty evil to me."

"Do you really want to talk about it _now_?" Arthur demanded. "Because I had something else in mind." He strode back towards the table of purple flowers, his smirk making it very clear which option he preferred.

Faced with the choice of an intense philosophical discussion about the nature of good and evil... or making out with his boyfriend, Alfred did what any red-blooded teenager would do. He gripped Arthur by his waist and lifted the slimmer teenager onto the nearest table. Forgetting the tension between their houses, he leaned forward and kissed Arthur roughly, enjoying the taste and sensation of Arthur's warm lips. He slipped his tongue between Arthur's parted lips and traced arcane patterns in Arthur's mouth, swirling and massaging in the gentle warmth. It had been far too long since last they met.

Sighing happily, Arthur wrapped his arms around Alfred's neck and kissed back with equal vigor. He carded his fingers through Alfred's golden hair, tickling the short hairs at the nape of Alfred's neck. Each sensual touch sent a pleasant shiver down Alfred's spine.

Feeling bold, Alfred tugged off Arthur's green scarf, exposing the pale collarbone underneath. He peppered wet kisses along Arthur's jaw and neck, before pressing his lips down on the collarbone. He sucked hard, his efforts rewarded by Arthur's moans and tightened grip. As Alfred finished leaving the love mark, he heard Arthur growl in the back of his throat and lunge forward. The rapid motion sent them tumbling to the ground, but Alfred barely noticed the pain of landing on his ass. He was too distracted by the way that Arthur was straddling his hips and trying to rip off his robes. His hands glided up Arthur's sides, itching to disrobe the lithe teenager.

They had never gone quite so far before and although Alfred was excited, he was also a little concerned. "You... you sure you want to...?" he asked, panting breathlessly.

"Huh?" The hunger in Arthur's eyes faded, quickly replaced by fear. He jerked back and shook his head. "I'm so sorry, Al. I don't know what came over me."

"Hey, no worries! You can cum over me any time you want," Alfred teased.

The crude double entendre was enough to make Arthur roll his eyes, but Alfred was just relieved to see a normal expression on Arthur's face again. Arthur always acted this way, eagerly pulling him in and then inexplicably pushing him away. The mysterious behavior was part of his allure, although sometimes Alfred worried that the other teen's secrets might be darker than he was prepared to handle.

"Perhaps that's enough for the night," Arthur murmured.

Despite his unease, Alfred twined their fingers together and gave Arthur a soft smile. "We should run away together," he suggested. "Somewhere we don't have to hide."

With a slight frown, Arthur leaned forward and shook his head. "There is no such place," he said as his slim fingers pulled Alfred's robes back into place and smoothed down his golden hair. "This is the safest spot in all of Britain now."

"It doesn't _feel_ safe," Alfred muttered, angry at what had become of his school. "You've seen the way they treat muggle-borns! And they ain't teaching us how to _defend_ against the Dark Arts anymore."

"Nevertheless," Arthur began as he pulled Alfred to his feet. "It's safe because what you-know-who wants isn't here." He let go of Alfred's hand and pricked one finger on the Vampbriars. At the taste of their creator's blood, the plants withered away, leaving behind nothing but dust and seeds.

"How can you be sure? I mean, who the hell knows what that monster wants," Alfred replied. After a moment's thought, he tapped his nose. "Unless it's a nose."

Arthur stared. "Really?"

"Come on, it's funny!"

"Well, this isn't a laughing matter." Arthur crossed his arms and gave Alfred a stern look. Despite being a measly two and a half months older than him, Arthur still managed to act like a mother hen. “Promise me you won’t do anything foolish.”

Alfred grinned. “Me? Foolish?”

“You know what I mean. Now isn’t the time for heroics. Keep your head down and perhaps we can all make it through this year alive.” Arthur leaned in for a kiss, embracing Alfred tightly, like he was afraid to let go.

"I'll try," Alfred promised, giving Arthur one last wistful look before they snuck back to their rival houses. Somehow, he knew it would be a tricky promise to keep.

* * *

_And_

Alfred's resolve lasted two weeks. He could put up with the cruel jokes in class and he managed to ignore the nasty whispers (if only because he dropped a stink bug into the bully's bag when no one was looking), but there was no way in hell he was going to stand back and just watch a group of third-year Slytherins use their wands to carve 'Mudblud luvver' into McGonagall's door.

He stormed at them, knocking one of the boys over before any of the Slytherins had a chance to respond. Like most wizards, they had come to rely on their wands so much that they had never learned how to avoid kicks and punches. The others began shooting spells as Gryffindor students jumped into the fray. Alfred wrestled with the largest boy, throwing kicks and punches with reckless abandon. He felt a few spells whizz past his head. Magic was great, but he had found that wizards were terrible at melee.

Alfred gasped as a Cruciatus Curse struck him in the temple. He felt a sharp stab of pain, like a pixie was playing quodpot in his brain. Trying to see through blurry tears of pain, Alfred looked up as another Slytherin ran his way. He lifted his wand, but stopped just in time when he recognized the voice.

"McGonagall's coming!" Arthur cried.

"Shit, run!" the other Slytherins shouted. The students rapidly cleared out, leaving the hallway empty as Arthur bent down to help Alfred to his feet.

With flashes of white pain still filling his eyes, Alfred stumbled and barely managed to avoid falling as Arthur led him into a deserted boy's bathroom. Feeling like he was suffering from a nasty hangover, Alfred slumped against the tile wall and tried to catch his breath. In the mirror, he could see the disheveled state of his hair and the vicious, bleeding cut where the spell had hit him. It was no wonder that Cruciatus was one of the unforgivable curses. Even from a young boy's wand, it was still the most painful thing he had ever felt. Alfred hissed as he touched his finger to the cut.

Arthur make a noise of protest. "What do you think you're doing?" he demanded. Despite his harsh tone, he stepped closer and used a damp cloth to wash away the blood. "If you don't treat it properly, you'll have a scar," he explained, using his finger tips to massage a green salve into Alfred's temples.

Alfred leaned into the gentle touch and let Arthur work his magic. "Mmm... that feels good," he sighed happily as the pain melted away. "The salve is also nice."

Returning what was left of the healing salve into a hidden pocket of his robes, Arthur sighed and shook his head. "You know... if you just want me touching you, there are easier ways to go about it than getting into fights."

"Heh." Alfred grinned as he turned to glance into the mirror. The cut was completely gone, and so was the pain. He gave Arthur a thumbs-up. "I'm the hero, remember?"

"More like a blithering idiot. What if the Carrows had found you? That curse is a hundred times more powerful in the hands of someone who enjoys pain for its own sake!"

Alfred wrinkled his nose. "How do you even know that?"

"Because _some_ of us actually pay attention in class."

"Yeah, guess I'm lucky you know your potions," Alfred admitted with a chuckle. "What is this stuff, anyway?"

"It's _Aletris_. Unicorn root. Good for curing most gashes and bites, although I fear there is no cure for your hero complex."

"I bet you use it for all those paper cuts you get studying!" Alfred teased. He wrapped an arm around Arthur's waist and leaned in to nuzzle his shoulder. With his head buried against Arthur's robes, he missed the fearful look that crossed Arthur's face.

"Uh... no. Mostly I carry it around because my boyfriend is an idiot."

"Yeah, but—" Alfred cut off what he was going to say when he heard the bathroom door start to creak open. Acting with fast reflexes, he pushed Arthur away.

Arthur stumbled back a few steps and his eyes narrowed. He gave Alfred a small nod as a Ravenclaw student walked into the bathroom.

"Ugh, you two aren't fighting are you?" the boy asked, giving them an annoyed look as he walked over to one of the stalls. "It's so hard to study with Gryffindors and Slytherins fighting all the time!"

"Who, us?" Alfred cheerfully replied with his most innocent look. He whistled nonchalantly and started to wash his hands in the nearby sink. Using the mirror, he caught Arthur's gaze and gave him a wink.

Arthur sniffed haughtily. "I was just leaving," he muttered, returning Alfred's wink before he walked out the door.

Their secret was still safe. At least for the moment.

* * *

_Green_

As sixth-year students, Alfred and Arthur had more choices in their electives, leaving them with only one class together: Potions.

Although Professor Slughorn was a huge improvement over Professor Snape, Alfred still didn't trust him. He was the Head of Slytherin House, for one. And he focused most of his time in class on helping his best students get better, sparing the least amount of help for those who needed it most. People like Alfred, who had never been very skilled at the precise measurements needed to be a good potions master. Snape had always yelled at him. Slughorn just ignored him.

Alfred stared at his bubbling blue potion and wondered what he had done wrong. He had been so excited to make Wolfsbane potion, thinking he could use it to kill the werewolves in the Dark Lord's army. Unfortunately, Slughorn had explained halfway through that it was actually used to help werewolves keep their human minds during a transformation. Honestly, what sort of Professor would want to _help_ a monster? It was just further evidence that Slughorn was evil, despite his amiable appearance.

The Gryffindor student sitting next to Alfred leaned over and whistled under his breath. "Wow! Is it supposed to be sparkling like that?"

"I don't think so," Alfred muttered. He glanced over at Colin's potion, which had turned an interesting shade of lavender. Neither one of them had managed to generate the faint wisps of blue smoke that marked a successful potion.

Glancing to the table in the front of the classroom he could see that Arthur had brewed the potion perfectly. Of course. Arthur always did. So it was no surprise that the professor's sole attention was focused on praising the clever Slytherin student. "What a magnificent potion, Kirkland!" he exclaimed. "Wonderful as always."

"Thank you, Professor," Arthur replied, looking pleased with himself.

Slughorn clapped his hands together cheerfully. "Will you be able to make it to the next Slug Club meeting? We're going to be planning the Christmas Party."

Arthur smiled warmly. "I wouldn't miss it for the world."

Nearly gagging at that ridiculous display of brown-nosing, Alfred turned his attention back to his own hopeless potion. He perked up as a thought occurred to him. Slughorn had explained at the beginning of class that wolfsbane was highly toxic, so an incorrectly brewed potion was deadly. He might not have brewed the _helpful_ version of the potion, but he had made the sort that he would prefer to give a werewolf.

* * *

_Should_

As the weather grew colder, it became harder and harder to find places to meet in secret. The Room of Requirement was used by so many people, it had essentially become an open secret among the students. And as students bravely fought back against the administration, the patrols and lock-downs increased.

It was too dangerous to use the owls to communicate, so they settled for passing notes in the library. Arthur had discovered the Invisible Book of Invisibility in his second year and it made the perfect place to leave messages. Checking the book for messages was pretty much the only reason Alfred ever visited the library.

On a quiet weekday morning, he slipped into an empty corner of the library and found the small gap that marked where the book stood. He pulled out the invisible tome and leafed through the invisible pages until he found Arthur's note.

_Meet me at the Boathouse on Saturday at midnight?_

Alfred grinned and quickly scrawled a reply to let Arthur know that he had seen the message arranging another secret rendezvous.

Even the tension in the school as Voldemort's reign of terror continued wasn't enough to bring down Alfred's mood while he waited for Friday to arrive. He had never really paid attention to wizarding politics, but he knew who was good and who was evil. He tried not to worry too much about the war because he knew in his heart that good always triumphed over evil. The war did have a huge impact on his secret assignations, however. With school staff on high alert for 'troublemakers', it was getting harder to sneak out of Gryffindor tower at night. So when Saturday came, Alfred decided to beat the rush and slipped out of the castle just after dinner with a blanket hidden under his robes.

Pleased with his cleverness, he curled up in the blanket and hid in one of the spare boats to pass the time until the appointed hour. The waning moon provided just enough light for him to read his backlog of wizarding comic books. Alfred loved the ones about Edward and Eric, an auror and muggle detective duo who teamed up to solve crimes against muggles. It had been banned by the Ministry of Magic as pro-muggle agitprop, but that just made it even more exciting to Alfred. He had nearly made it to the end of the fourth issue when he heard footsteps approaching.

Smiling from his hiding spot, Alfred watched Arthur slip into the boathouse. The other teenager looked gorgeous in the moonlight, which turned his hair silver and made his fair skin glow. Unfortunately, even the gentle light couldn't erase the dark bags under his eyes or the creases of tension in his forehead. He looked older than his sixteen years. Alfred began to frown, wondering if Arthur was sick.

"I can hear you breathing, you know," Arthur said, turning to glance Alfred's way.

"Ah, man. I was hoping to scare you for Halloween," Alfred teased as he climbed out of the boat and walked over to give Arthur a peck on his cheek. "You okay?"

"I'm fine." Arthur arched an eyebrow. "And Halloween was a fortnight ago."

"Yeah, but it's never too early to get started for next year."

They had started a tradition of trying to scare each other on Halloween long before they had started dating. Given Alfred's crippling fear of ghosts, Arthur had won the first four years without breaking a sweat. But Alfred put a lot of thought into his scare for their fifth year, creating a terrifying wolf's face animated with complex spells. One look at the mask had been enough to make Arthur nearly pass out in fright. The protective feelings that rushed through Alfred as he caught Arthur and carried him to the nurse was his first major clue that their endless arguments were a cover for gentler feelings.

"...Alfred? Are you even listening to me?" Arthur demanded.

"Huh?"

"I _said_ that we need to be more careful in public. One of my friends warned me that you seemed to be staring at me constantly in Potions class."

"I bet she was worried I might jump you," Alfred replied with a wink and a nudge. "You gotta admit. She has a point."

Arthur swatted him on the shoulder. "Just... tone it down. I'd be _persona_ _non grata_ if my house found out about us."

"Well, maybe you should try to change that," Alfred replied with a twinge of annoyance. He wasn't sure what the Latin meant, but it sounded bad. "It's your house. They might listen to you."

"Oh, yes. I can see that going well. Let's all play nice with the other houses because this sixth year thinks a Gryffindor is cute!" Arthur laughed sarcastically. "Jolly good!"

Alfred pouted. "Just _cute_?"

"And handsome." Arthur pulled him in for a kiss. They embraced passionately, letting their hands wander freely, creating their own warmth in the cold room. "And kind," Arthur added as he planted kisses along Alfred's jaw. He cupped Alfred's face and gave him a soft smile. "And very dear to my heart."

"Aw, I always knew you were a softie beneath that prickly shell," Alfred replied happily as he swept Arthur off the ground and spun him around in a circle. "You're cute and cuddly and basically a big teddy bear."

"Put―" Arthur opened his mouth to protest, but a moment later he jerked his head towards the door and his eyes widened. "Get in the boat!" he hissed.

Trusting Arthur's excellent hearing, Alfred tumbled into the boat with the other teenager still wrapped in his arms. They had barely hidden under the heavy canvas boat cover when Alfred heard loud steps outside the door. The next sounds didn't make any sense to him. He heard the person walk to the edge of the dock, then a loud splash in the water, followed by a strange incantation. Moments later, a blinding white light filled the room. Strangely, the light made Alfred feel hopeful and safe.

Just a few minutes after the light disappeared, another set of footsteps raced into the boathouse.

"Severus!" a woman cried in surprise. "I thought I saw... what are you doing?"

"The spells I cast at _his_ behest are not your concern, Alecto."

"Of course, Headmaster. Forgive me."

The two quickly left the boathouse together, discussing something about a group of students being caught trying to steal a sword. Alfred held his breath and craned his ears, but the teachers were out of earshot before he learned anything interesting. In his arms, Arthur breathed a huge sigh of relief.

"That was too close," Arthur murmured.

"What do you think he was doing?" Alfred wondered as they climbed out of the boat. He peered into the water, trying to identify what the headmaster had thrown into the lake. Unfortunately, he couldn't see anything in the murky depths.

"I didn't catch the second spell," Arthur admitted, "But the first one is a way to move objects through water. He must have been sending something to someone."

"Yeah, I think I _know who_. We've got to tell somebody!"

"Tell them what?" Arthur snapped. "That we were breaking the curfew and heard the headmaster tossing something into the lake? First, we have no evidence he was doing anything wrong. Second, _we_ 'll be the ones who get in trouble."

Alfred glared. "God, you're such a coward."

"I'm pragmatic. There's a difference."

"Don't seem like much of one to me," Alfred retorted.

"Well, obviously I wouldn't expect a _Gryffindor_ to understand."

"So is that the way it is? Why bother with me? Go have fun with your Death Eater friends! See if I care!" Folding his blanket under his robes, Alfred stormed out of the boathouse. He didn't want to spend another minute with Arthur if he was just going to deny the obvious and side with the evil people from his own house.

Lost in a haze of anger as he made his way back to Gryffindor dorm, Alfred wasn't very careful about checking for patrols and staying hidden. He turned a corner and nearly ran into Amycus Carrow, the new professor of Dark Arts. He backpedaled rapidly, but it was too late. Carrow had already heard his steps.

"Who's there? Show yourself!" Carrow demanded viciously. The light cast by the tip of his wand illuminated his portion of the hallway, nearly reaching Alfred's feet. If Carrow stepped forward just a few more steps, he would be able to see Alfred.

Before Alfred could run away or cast a spell, he felt a person brush past him and step into Carrow's illuminated field of view. It was Arthur, doing his best impression of a keen student. "Sorry, sir. I saw a flash of light near the Great Lake, and I thought one of the Gryffindor mudbloods was playing tricks. I thought I might catch 'em before they came back, sir."

Carrow's expression relaxed and he nodded. "Quite understandable, Kirkland. But you should return to your house. I have the situation in hand."

"Ah... you wouldn't like any help cursing them, sir?" Arthur asked while he frantically waved at Alfred from behind his back. "I've got some curses I'd really like to practice."

Getting the message, Alfred slipped back the way he had come and took a different route to the Gryffindor common room. As he dashed through the empty corridors, he heard Carrow's cruel laughter in the distance.

Alfred shivered. Paying more attention to his surroundings this time, he made it back to his dorm without any more mishaps. He gave the Fat Lady the password and felt an intensive wave of guilt as he stepped into the common room. He had been an asshole to Arthur, and yet the other teenager had still helped him. Alfred hoped to see Arthur again soon, he desperately needed to make up for his stupid words.

* * *

_Never_

They arranged their next meeting for a Hogsmeade weekend. With all of the students dressed in regular clothes, it would be easier to slip off without being noticed.

Alfred wandered the streets of Hogsmeade, enjoying the crunch of fresh snow beneath his feet. He poked his head into the tea shop, the sweets shop, and both of the taverns, hoping to blend in with the other students. As the day grew later, he finally left the town's streets and followed a set of footprints out to the area near the Shrieking Shack. Most students preferred getting something to eat or drink during their prized Hogsmeade weekends, so it was usually a quiet place.

He found Arthur leaning against the fence and gazing thoughtfully at the shack. A few snowflakes landed on his soft hair and Alfred itched to reach over and brush them away. He settled for giving Arthur an apologetic smile as he joined him at the fence.

"Hey," Alfred said. "Thanks for the help back there. I'm, uh, I'm sorry about what I said." He rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment. He always found apologizing difficult.

Arthur nodded calmly, his gaze still focused on the distant shack. "You want to save the world, Alfred. It's who you are. But I'll always be there to save _you_."

Grinning broadly, Alfred wrapped an arm around Arthur's shoulders. "You know, some days I think I maybe understand how Godric and Salazar managed to be friends."

"Yes, you certainly need someone to look after you," Arthur agreed as he leaned into the embrace. "There's something I've been meaning to tell you," he whispered.

"Okay... but do you have to do it here?" Alfred asked, unable to suppress a shiver as he glanced at the haunted shack. "I don't really want to stick around. They say you can still hear the screams at night."

"Really? What a load of rubbish!" Arthur snorted and shook his head.

"It's true! That place is seriously haunted."

"It isn't _haunted_. The shack was used to house a werewolf student during the full moon. The sound of him trying to tear down the walls was what the townsfolk heard."

Alfred paled. "Holy shit. That's even _worse_ than a ghost."

"Oh?" Arthur turned to give him an unreadable look. "I thought nothing scared you more than poltergeists."

"What? I'm not scared of ghosts!" Alfred sighed. "Okay, just a little bit. But werewolves are worse. I mean, a ghost can't bite you and turn you into a ghost."

"No, I suppose not," Arthur murmured as he turned back to gaze at the shack. "Still. I think it was brave of them to let a werewolf be a student."

Alfred snorted. "Sounds stupid to me. You can't trust them; they support you-know-who."

"Can you _blame_ them?" Arthur growled, throwing off Alfred's arm as he angrily jerked back. "Wizards have always treated werewolves like shit. Of course they'll support someone who promises them a decent life!"

Alfred felt a wave of anger rush through him. He knew that Arthur was a little too friendly with the dark wizards in Slytherin, but this was ridiculous. "Seriously?" he demanded. "Do you want me to start caring about basilisks, too? I mean, yeah, they turn people to stone, but I'm sure they're just poor, misunderstood creatures!"

"It's not like that," Arthur snapped. "You don't think all people are bad because some support Voldemort. And I thought you _liked_ Professor Lupin."

"Well, sure," Alfred admitted. "Until they fired him for attacking students."

"Why do I even bother? You're hopeless!"

"I'm hopeless? _You're_ the one who thinks we should buddy up with werewolves and giants. Heck, maybe we should invite you-know-who to a cup of tea! I bet we can talk through our differences and everyone can live happily ever after!"

Arthur took a deep breath. He sighed deeply, gave Alfred a sad look, and shook his head. "I... I didn't ask you here to argue. What I wanted to tell you... that is, I wanted to say that... I'm... I'm..." He gave Alfred a hopeless look, then squared his shoulders as he reached a decision. "I'm breaking it off. I don't think we should be seen together."

"Fine!" Alfred shouted, focusing on his anger because otherwise he might start to cry. "I don't want to date you either!"

"Good. I'm glad that's settled." Arthur's gaze dropped to the ground and he started to reach into his wand pocket, his eyebrows scrunched together.

Alfred felt a chill run down his spine. Furious that Arthur would think about casting a spell on him, he tackled the other teenager to the ground, pinning Arthur's arms above his head so he couldn't reach for his wand. "Don't you _dare_ try to jinx me."

Arthur stared up at him in shock. "I wasn't!" he protested, struggling in the snow as he tried to push off the heavier teenager.

"I'm not _stupid_ , Arthur. You always do that thing with your eyebrows when you're casting a spell." Alfred shifted his grasp so he could keep Arthur pinned with one hand. He pulled his own wand out of his pocket and pointed it at Arthur. "Now, are you going to tell me what you had planned, or do I need to confound it out of you?"

"I wasn't going to jinx you," Arthur swore. "And why in Merlin's beard would you date me if you thought I wanted to _hurt_ you?"

Alfred jabbed the wand closer. "You're the one who's always keeping secrets and acting weird! How the hell am I supposed to know what you really think?"

"You could try _listening_ to me." Arthur stopped struggling and let his head fall back into the snow. "Honestly, it was just a little memory charm to make you forget that we had ever dated. I thought it would be easier that way," he explained, avoiding Alfred's gaze.

"Hmm." Alfred raised his wand and considered using the same memory charm on Arthur. "Maybe you're right." He wouldn't have to worry about Arthur selling him out if the other teenager couldn't remember any of their relationship. But his conscience made him pause mid-spell. The thought of losing his own memories made him sick to his stomach, so how could he turn around and do the same thing to Arthur?

Arthur's eyes widened. "What? No! You can't!" He twisted beneath Alfred and kicked him off.

They both scrambled to their feet in the snow, glaring at each other as they held their wands at the ready. Alfred had never really thought about what would happen if they ever broke up, but this was worse than he could have imagined.

Arthur scowled, his green eyes glinting dangerously. "You never think things through!" he demanded. "Why can't you—" His words were cut short as a bolt of red light hit him directly in the chest. Arthur crumpled to the ground, his landing cushioned by the fresh-fallen snow.

"Shit," Alfred muttered under his breath as he turned around to see two Gryffindor students racing toward him, kicking up clumps of snow. Seamus and Colin both had their wands out; he wasn't sure which had cast Stupefy.

Seamus nodded in satisfaction at the sight of the unconscious Slytherin. "I thought I heard fighting," he said. "Glad I was right!"

"Come on, Al!" Colin urged, his breath creating a white mist in the cold air. "We've got to get out of here before the professors show up!"

"Right," Alfred agreed. "Thanks for the back-up!" He hefted Arthur's limp body over his shoulder and turned to jog back to Hogsmeade, his progress impeded by the blanket of snow and the dead weight across his shoulders.

"Uh... what are you doing?" Colin asked as he ran alongside him.

"If we leave him out here, they'll know we were fighting," Alfred explained, tossing out the first excuse that came to mind. "I'm going to dump him by one of the taverns, erase his memory, and let them think he's had too much butterbeer."

Seamus grinned. "Good plan!"

The two Gryffindors promised to provide a distraction while Alfred slipped behind the seedier tavern. He gently lowered Arthur to the ground and positioned the other teen so he was slumped against the wall, his head resting on his chest. Anyone who knew Arthur's lack of tolerance would agree that he looked completely sloshed.

Feeling a warm surge of protectiveness, Alfred knelt down next to the motionless wizard and reached forward to cup Arthur's cold cheek. Despite what he had told Seamus and Colin, there was no way he was going to risk leaving Arthur unconscious out in the cold. Seeing Arthur knocked out by the spell had made Alfred realize two things. First, despite their constant arguments, he still loved Arthur and would probably always love him. Second, their relationship was too big of a risk, for both of them. Thinking ahead this time, he pulled Arthur's wand out of the other wizard's pocket and hid it safely in one of his own pockets.

" _Rennervate_ ," Alfred said, pointing his wand at Arthur's chest. A tiny jet of red light sprang forth, creating warmth as it added color to Arthur's cheeks. Within moments, the Slytherin began to stir and his eyes fluttered open. He gave Alfred a confused look, the confusion deepening as he patted his wand pocket and found it empty.

Alfred smiled apologetically. "Sorry, Artie. I like you, but I don't trust you."

"Well, that might be the smartest thing you've ever said to me," Arthur admitted, sitting up straight as he brushed the snow off his clothes.

"And..." Alfred took a deep breath. He wasn't scared of danger, but he couldn't bear to see Arthur in harm's way because of him. "I think you're right. About us breaking it off."

Arthur nodded cautiously and pursed his lips. "Did... something happen after I was stunned? You're being remarkably reasonable."

"No, seeing you out cold was enough for me." Alfred leaned forward and kissed Arthur deeply, trying to memorize the feel of his lips and the taste of his mouth. He wanted one last kiss to remember Arthur by, in case he never got another chance. He leaned back on his heels, slipped his own wand into his pocket, and gave Arthur a crooked smile as he stood up. "Just... take care of yourself."

"Oh, you know me. It's what I'm good at."

"Right." Alfred patted down his pockets as he walked away. He wanted to return Arthur's wand, but he planned to leave it a short distance away from Arthur, in case the Slytherin was still thinking about using a memory charm. Unfortunately, Arthur's wand seemed to have gone missing. Hearing a throaty chuckle, he turned around to find Arthur smirking at him and holding up the wand.

"Looking for this?" Arthur teased.

Alfred froze, then slowly relaxed as he watched Arthur pocket the wand. They stared at each other for another moment as the bells of the Hogsmeade clock tower began to ring, marking the end of the Hogsmeade visit. Their teachers would expect them back soon. Alfred's throat choked up, so he simply gave Arthur a final nod. He started to walk away before the other teen could see the sudden brightness in his eyes.

* * *

_Be_

When school resumed in January, Alfred threw himself into the fight against Headmaster Snape and the Carrows. After his 'fight' with Arthur, Seamus and Colin had introduced him to the reconstituted Dumbledore's Army. They protected muggle-born students, practiced their spells, and prepared for the battle everyone knew was coming.

Months passed and in the fresh air of spring, the tension felt more bearable. Hogwarts had faced so many monsters over the years—basilisks and dementors, crazy professors and a cruel headmistress—that Death Eaters seemed like a more manageable threat in comparison. There was safety in numbers and growing hope among the students that Voldemort's days were numbered.

As he became a trusted member of Dumbledore's Army, Alfred learned that the group had been keeping tabs on every single Slytherin student. The notes described which ones were blood purists or children of Death Eaters, identifying the students most likely to be spies. Trying to look nonchalant, Alfred flipped to the page with Arthur's info.

_Pureblood family, rumors that he disappears from his dorm every few weeks, Slug Club member, usually seen alone, few non-Slytherin friends._

Alfred frowned when he saw that the person writing the notes had concluded that Arthur was probably a spy. Seeing the facts laid out in a cold, analytic way, he had to admit that there were serious reasons to question Arthur's loyalties. Alfred considered adding 'werewolf sympathizer' to the list, but decided against it. After all they had meant to each other, he couldn't betray Arthur's trust like that.

But he did continue to watch Arthur in Potions class, this time trying to focus more on warning signs and less on the way that Arthur's pretty eyes sparkled whenever he succeeded in making a difficult potion. And what Alfred saw worried him. Arthur looked too pale, like he wasn't sleeping or eating enough. There were new lines of stress near his eyes. And any time Arthur caught him staring, he glared.

At first, Alfred tried to ignore the disturbing signs of a drop in Arthur's health. As much as he wanted to help, his efforts could easily backfire if their housemates learned the truth. He thought a note might be acceptable, but when he visited the library, he found that their secret invisible tome had gone missing. He wondered if Arthur had hidden it away to discourage him from trying to resume contact.

Not one to give up, he waited to corner Arthur until after the other students had left the Potions dungeon and Slughorn had gone to fetch some supplies from the store room. They had at least a few minutes before the next class would arrive.

"Go away, Jones," Arthur whispered, glancing at Alfred out of the corner of his eye.

Sensing more distress than anger, Alfred shook his head and refused to budge. "No, you look like crap, Arthur. Meet me at the conservatory Friday after dinner?" he suggested in the quietest tone he could manage.

" _This_ Friday? That would be... no, not then," Arthur whispered back, a brief flash of panic crossing his face.

"Okay. Saturday evening?" Alfred offered, resisting the urge to kiss away the stress lines covering Arthur's forehead.

"Slug Club."

"Sunday?" Alfred knew he would have to miss his meeting with Dumbledore's Army, but he would find some excuse. This was important.

Arthur finally sighed and dropped his shoulders. "Okay."

"Uh, Johnson, did you need something?" Slughorn asked, giving Alfred a perplexed look as the professor stepped back into the classroom with some knot grass in his hands. He set the ingredient on the table.

"It's Jones, sir. I've got a friend who's really stressed, and I was wondering... do you know a potion that's good for reducing tension?" he asked cheerfully, ignoring the way Arthur stiffened next to him.

"Hmm." Slughorn glanced between Alfred and Arthur, a hint of amusement in his eyes. "Well, the Calming Draught is useful, though it creates a stupor in large doses. The Euphoria Elixir would be enough to overwhelm most worries, and the Scintillation Solution could help you solve any problem." He rubbed his chin. "Of course, personally, I would recommend a good cup of chamomile."

Alfred wrinkled his nose. "Isn't that a flower?"

"It's an herbal tea, you clodpot," Arthur corrected, swatting Arthur in the arm out of pure habit. Realizing what he had done, he ducked his head and beat a quick retreat, muttering something under his breath about being late for his next class.

"Ah, such an eager student," Slughorn said cheerfully as he returned to his cupboard. Alfred thought that the potions master had gone back to ignoring him now that Arthur had left the room, but he returned a moment later and handed two tea bags to Alfred. "Here you go, Johnson. Pass these along to your friend."

"Thanks!" Putting the tea bags into his pocket, Alfred decided that Slughorn was okay, despite being a Slytherin. Unfortunately, Alfred was about as bad at brewing tea as he was at making potions. His parents might have moved to England when he was young, but they had both stayed loyal to coffee. He settled on stealing a couple of teacups from the Divinations Tower and hoped that the thought would be enough.

When Sunday finally arrived, Alfred pretended to have serious indigestion after dinner. He begged off from his weekly meeting with Dumbledore's Army and left to visit the nurse's office.

He arrived at the herbology classroom before Arthur, giving him time to prepare the cups. He hoped it would make Arthur smile. As the sun began to set, Alfred started to wonder if Arthur was having second thoughts about their meeting. Yes, it was a risk, but he needed to know that Arthur was all right.

Alfred heard footsteps behind him and turned around with a smile, only to freeze when he realized that the figure wasn't Arthur.

"What are you doing here, Al? I thought you were going to see the nurse," Colin said, frowning in confusion.

Keeping the smile plastered on his face, Alfred nodded. "Yep! And she told me that chamomile would do the trick. So—" he pointed the pots filled with white flowers that resembled daisies "—I thought I'd pick some fresh ones!"

Colin laughed. "Al, she meant the _tea_."

"Ohhh..." Alfred smacked his forehead. "Right, tea!"

Believing the excuse, Colin nodded and started ducking his head under the tables in the greenhouse. "Hey, since you're here, mind helping me find a bag of fluxweed? Dennis helped me pick them during the full moon on Friday, but I think we forgot a bag."

Alfred hid the two teacups behind a planter and joined Colin in the search. Spring flowers bloomed in every corner of the conservatory, filling the room with color and giving it a pleasant scent. After a few minutes of fruitless searching, he smacked himself in the forehead again. How could he have forgotten that he was a wizard?

" _Accio fluxweed_!" Alfred said with a snap of his wand. His efforts were rewarded by a thin green stalk that smacked him in the forehead, dirt clump and all. "Oof."

Hiding his mouth behind his hand, Colin giggled and shook his head. "There's a reason I didn't try that! It has to be picked at the right time or it doesn't work."

"Right." Alfred wiped the dirt from his glasses and shook it out of his hair. He narrowed his eyes with determination. He wasn't going to be bested by a bag of weeds. " _Accio bag of fluxweed_!" he cried, waving the wand again.

This time he was rewarded by a canvas bag smacking him in the face.

"That's it!" Colin cried, picking the bag off the floor. "Thanks, Al!"

"You're welcome," Alfred replied, irked that he had to bend down to find his glasses on the floor. He plopped them back on his face and noticed something strange happen to Colin. The Gryffindor's eyes went hazy and unfocused. Ignoring Alfred, he turned around and left without saying another word.

"Colin?" Alfred debated chasing after his friend to see if he was okay, but he didn't want to miss Arthur. He poked his head out of the greenhouse and saw Arthur walking toward him. Noticing the way Arthur's eyebrows were scrunched together, a suspicion formed in Alfred's head. "Did you do something to him?"

"Just a little memory spell so he forgets that he saw you here."

"You didn't have to do that," Alfred snapped. "He believed my excuse."

Arthur shrugged. "But the others might not be so trusting. And after a bit of thought, even he will start to wonder why you're avoiding the DA meeting now that you seem to be in fine health. Not that they want your help brewing polyjuice potions."

"Who said anything about polyjuice?" Alfred demanded, his heart sinking to the ground as he realized how much Arthur knew that he wasn't supposed to know. If he _was_ a spy, Alfred and Colin had unwittingly given him a helpful nugget of information.

"Fluxweed? Plucked during a full moon?" Arthur arched an eyebrow. "You don't need to be a potions genius to solve that little mystery."

Trying to quiet his doubts, Alfred faked a smile. "Yeah. Well, I guess it's good you didn't want to meet on Friday. That would have been awkward."

Arthur gave him a wan smile. The dark bags under his eyes and the lines of tension across his forehead reminded Alfred why he had wanted to meet with the other teenager in the first place. When he saw Arthur shiver, Alfred tugged off his own scarf and wrapped it warmly around the other blond's neck.

"What a tacky color combination," was all Arthur said. But when Alfred turned around to fetch the hidden cups of chamomile, Arthur buried his nose into the scarf and inhaled the comforting scent.  

"Professor Slughorn wanted you to have these," Alfred explained as he handed a cup to Arthur "At least, I'm pretty sure he wanted you to have them. I don't think he would have bothered handing over part of his personal collection for me."

"He gets teas by the bushel from one of his old students who opened up an apothecary," Arthur explained, smiling as he wrapped his fingers around the warm cup. "She infuses them with a bit of magic, so I'm sure this is very calming indeed."

"Sorry if I didn't brew it right."

Arthur took a sip, winced, and set the cup down on the closest table. "That's... okay. Even tea can't solve every problem."

"Oh." Alfred's eyes widened. If Arthur was turning down tea, it was even worse than he had thought. "Arthur, tell me what's wrong," he begged. "I want to help."

" _Do_ you?" Arthur asked, his expression wary. "Would you honestly be willing to help me if I asked you to spy on Dumbledore's Army?"

"What?" Alfred stared in shock. "Of course not!"

"In fact, you'd probably want to stop me."

"Well... yeah."

"So whether you're willing to help depends on my problem." Arthur let his gaze wander the room, finally landing on the chamomile flowers. He sighed. "And... I don't think you're willing to help."

Uncertain what to make of Arthur's comments, Alfred felt his throat tighten. It frightened him that Arthur didn't believe he would be willing to help him. He would do almost anything for Arthur, so it had to be something bad. Desperate for the truth, he met the Slytherin's gaze. "Arthur... whose side are you on?"

"I'm on _your_ side," Arthur promised, grabbing Alfred's hand and squeezing it tightly. He searched Alfred's blue eyes for something; if he found it, he didn't say. "But I don't think that you're on mine."

Alfred's forehead wrinkled in confusion. "There are only two sides."

Arthur sighed. "I know you say that now, but I hope you'll change your mind. Just, promise me that if you ever want to attack me, that you'll take at least a moment to think about how much I love you."

"Why would I attack you?" Alfred asked, before realizing the full importance of what Arthur had said. "Wait. You love me?"

"God, you're such an idiot," Arthur replied, knocking against the table and spilling the tea as he stormed away.

Alfred stood amidst the greenhouse flowers in shocked silence and stared at the broken teacup. His head was swimming as he tried to understand the evening's contradictions. Arthur loved him! But Arthur refused to tell why he was so upset. Even worse than that, Arthur was worried that Alfred would be angry enough that he would try to attack him if he knew the truth.

None of it made any sense. Alfred prided himself on his bravery, but he felt a pit of fear coiled at the base of his stomach. He was afraid that one day soon, they would have to face the moment of truth. And he wasn't sure he could handle it.

* * *

_Seen_

The war arrived at Hogwarts in May.

Alfred stood in the Great Hall, clenching his wand in his fist. The teachers had gathered all of the students for their own protection, but it didn’t seem that it would be enough to stop Voldemort. His voice filled the entire castle, amplified by magic.

"I know that you are preparing to fight. Your efforts are futile.”

The Gryffindor students refused to show any fear. After the successes of Dumbledore's Army, they knew their efforts were making a difference. In the darkest days, they had given students hope for a brighter future. Unable to see the resolve in the student's eyes, Voldemort continued in a honeyed voice:

“I do not want to kill you. I have great respect for the teachers of Hogwarts. I do not want to spill magical blood.”

Alfred gripped his wand tighter and grit his teeth. The Dark Lord only respected his lackeys; he didn't care about those murdered during his war.

“Give me Harry Potter and I shall leave the school untouched. Give me Harry Potter and you will be rewarded." He paused. "You have until midnight."

The Gryffindors stood deathly silent as they shuffled closer together, although Alfred could feel the tension growing amongst them as every eye turned toward the Boy Who Lived. His own house would protect him, but Alfred didn't know if the others would be willing to stand and fight against the monster who had terrified the wizarding world.

After another moment of silence, one of the Slytherin students jumped forward. "What are you waiting for? Grab him!" she shouted.

In a mass of solidarity, the Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws closed ranks, leaving the Slytherin House standing alone against a sea of primary colors. Alfred felt his heart swell with pride when McGonagall ordered Slughorn to lead his house out of the castle. Yet even as he cheered, he desperately searched through the crowd of Slytherins for a familiar mop of messy blond hair. He wanted to catch Arthur's eye, but as hard as he tried, he couldn't find the other teenager in the crowd.

The remaining students were given a choice. If they were at least seventeen years old, making them adults in the wizarding world, they could stay and fight. The rest would be in charge of leading the younger students to safety in Hogsmeade. Alfred wanted to stay. But as he tried to slip away from the group of underage students, he found his way blocked by an annoyed Gryffindor prefect.

The older student crossed his arms. "Jones! Get out of here. I know for a fact that you aren't seventeen yet."

"But my birthday's in two months!" Alfred protested.

"If the battle is still going on in July, you can fight then," the student replied without any sympathy, pushing Alfred back toward the group of students.

"Damn it," Alfred muttered under his breath. He followed the young Gryffindors as they walked toward the entrance to the tunnel that led to Hogsmeade. He racked his brain trying to think of an escape route so he could stay and fight. When they reached the end of the corridor and started to make a right turn, he noticed someone tapping him on the elbow. It was Colin, wearing a mischievous grin. He jerked his head toward two sets of armor and Alfred immediately understood the plan.

They ducked behind the armor as soon as the prefect leading the group of students disappeared around the corner. When the rest of the Gryffindors were gone, they levitated the top portions of the armor and climbed inside.

Alfred grunted with effort as he walked in the metal armor. They strode past the group of escaping Hufflepuff students; fortunately, their stiff movements didn't draw any attention. After a few moments, the suits of armor began to move of their own accord. With much swifter strides the suits carried them to the courtyard. Seeing that they were close to the greenhouses, Arthur levitated the top of his suit off again and jumped out while it was still moving. When he glanced back, the helmet turned toward him and gave him a reproachful look. Colin followed a moment later, grinning with excitement.

Together they raced toward the conservatory where they helped the Hufflepuffs who were rallying to defend the wall with Professor Sprout. In the frantic rush to prepare the defenses and build catapults, Alfred had almost no time to spare to think about Arthur. He hoped that the other teenager had made it to safety. But despite Arthur's promise, he feared that Arthur might have left to fight on the _other_ side of the battle.

Near midnight, Voldemort's army came into view and Alfred felt a wave of knee-shaking terror. He could see giants and werewolves and a horde of Death Eaters in black robes. The student defenders and their catapults suddenly seemed tiny by comparison.

"Put on your ear muffs, then count to ten and fire!" Sprout shouted.

Alfred slipped on his muffs with shaky hands. He counted down, slipping a potted mandrake root into his catapult as he prepared to launch the plant at the incoming army. When he reached one, he pulled the latch and watched the mandrake fly toward the approaching army. The pot burst open on landing, knocking those nearby unconscious as they heard the mandrake's screams.

Voldemort's army began to cast spells at the potted mandrake roots, incinerating them before they could reach the ground. Alfred switched over to balls of sticky weed. The ball exploded as soon as it was hit by a spell, covering the Death Eaters in vines and tangling them in their tracks. Unfortunately, the plants seemed to have no effect on the incredibly strong giants, who were still striding toward the walls. As they drew closer, Alfred could feel the ground shake beneath him. Like the students next to him, he drew his wand and began to fire stunning spells. Even with their combined power, it wasn't enough to stop the giants. Alfred and the other students dodged to the side as one of the giants swung its club at the wall, making the closest section crumble to pieces.

With a desperate gasp, Alfred jumped to the ground and rolled away from the falling stones, losing his ear muffs in the process. Seeing that he now had a collection of projectiles, he began levitating pieces of the wall to throw them at the nearest giant. Unfortunately, the stones just seemed to make it angry. The giant turned to face Alfred and bellowed.

His thoughts racing in panic, Alfred tried to take stock. The giant was impossibly strong, it could run faster than him, and none of his spells had even slowed it down. About the only thing that might work would be running somewhere the giant couldn't follow him. Alfred raced into the nearest greenhouse and heard the glass explode and shatter behind him as the giant followed.

"Over here!" a voice cried. It sounded like Arthur.

Feeling a renewed sense of hope, Alfred dashed into the next greenhouse. He yelped when a hand grabbed his leg and dragged him under the table.

"Don't move," Arthur whispered. "Their eyesight is based on movement."

The table sheltered them both from falling glass as the giant crashed into the greenhouse. It made grunting noises and swung his club around the room, knocking over plants and tables. Alfred winced, grateful that they had already taken all of the mandrake roots out of the conservatories. As the giant passed by their table, Arthur jumped out from underneath and tossed a liquid-filled balloon into the giant's face. The liquid exploded on contact, some landing in the giant's mouth. Its angry expression suddenly vanished.

"Mrr?" the giant asked Arthur, looking at him with complete infatuation.

"The other giants are trying to steal me away from you. You need to stop them!"

"Rarr!" the giant yelled, grabbing its club as it dashed back toward the wall. Alfred watched in amazement as the love-struck giant began attacking the other giants.

He turned to face Arthur, noticing with pleasure that the other teenager was wearing his Gryffindor scarf. Given the reputation of Slytherin House, it was probably a smart choice to pretend to be a Gryffindor for the battle. "Did... did you throw a love potion at that giant?"

Arthur smirked. "Haven't you heard? It's the most powerful magic on earth, and the only power that you-know-who doesn't understand." He frowned as he turned to look at the gaping holes in the wall. "Now come on, we need to fix the breach."

They raced back into the fray. Casting a shield spell, Alfred provided cover for Arthur as the Slytherin dropped Vampbriar seeds into the ground and fed them with blood. In a matter of minutes, Arthur had created an impenetrable thicket of thorns.

This time, when the giants attempted to crush the wall, the briars caught their clubs, leaving them weaponless. At that point even the Death Eaters began to avoid the wall of briars, deciding to attack softer targets.

A cheer went up among the students and Alfred grinned with pride, pleased that it was _his_ boyfriend who had been clever enough to defeat the giants. He raced up to Arthur and hugged him tightly. Instead of protesting the embrace, Arthur gave him a wan smile and slumped against him, letting Alfred hold up most of his weight.

"You okay, Artie?" he asked in concern.

"Bit dizzy. It takes a lot of blood to create that many briars."

"I'm glad you stayed to fight," Alfred said, giving Arthur a grateful smile. "You definitely saved my butt back there."

"Sorry it took so long. I had to go to the potions dungeon to get my potions." Arthur rested his head on Alfred's shoulder. "And you have a very nice butt. It would be a tragedy if anything happened to it."

Chuckling to himself, Alfred half-carried Arthur back to the other student defenders and he made sure that the other teenager sat down while they prepared their defenses for the next wave of attacks. Professor Sprout gave the Vambriars a look of distaste, but she didn't insist on taking them down.

Before they were prepared, a group of Death Eaters flew over the walls on broomsticks, casting the killing curse in all directions. As green jets of light whizzed around them, Alfred grabbed Arthur and ducked behind pieces of the fallen wall. Alfred lifted his head above cover and cast spells at the enemy. He successfully stunned one of them, wincing as he watched the person plummet to the ground and land with a hard thump. Alfred looked around to see if everyone else had made it to cover and saw a flash of green light strike Colin before he could hide in one of the conservatories. The boy dropped like a stone and lay motionless on the ground. Alfred blanched when he realized that Colin was dead.

"Come on, Alfred, help me knock them off their brooms!" Arthur shouted, pulling Alfred's attention back to their own deadly predicament. As he returned his attention to the battle, he saw Arthur peek above the top of the stones and began casting Stunning curses at the Death Eaters, trying to knock them off their broomsticks.

A Hufflepuff student hiding behind overturned tables tossed more of the sticky weed and succeeded in tangling the broomsticks, forcing the Death Eaters to land.

Shaken by Colin's death, Alfred barely ducked down in time as the Death Eaters fired back. He saved himself, but one of the spells hit his wand and shattered it into pieces. Glancing over the edge of the stones, he saw the remaining Death Eaters advancing on their hiding place. Seeing nothing else he could do, Alfred picked up a few stones and hurled them at Voldemort's minions.

"Here," Arthur said, placing his own wand into Alfred's empty hand.

"Arthur, what are you doing?" Alfred demanded as he cast a flurry of spells at the Death Eaters, trying to hold them back. But when he turned to look over at Arthur, all he saw was a scarf lying on the ground next to a empty pile of clothing.

Hopelessly confused and more than a little scared, Alfred turned back to try and delay the Death Eaters. His shaky attempts to send stunning curses at them were easily parried. His heart raced as adrenaline rushed through his veins. Despite Colin's death, he had felt invincible, but now reality was closing in on him. It wasn't fair! He was only sixteen! There was so much more he wanted to do with his life. He felt a cold chill of despair envelop him as he saw the Death Eater's awful masks. But as they took another step closer, he heard one begin to shriek in pain. A gray blur jumped between the people and the sounds of screams filled Alfred's ears. When he saw the wolf standing over the dead Death Eaters, he felt like he was going to puke.

In the distance, the Dark Lord announced a truce. The fighting would end, he promised, if Harry Potter surrendered within an hour.

Ignoring the truce, the wolf looked Alfred directly in the eye and walked toward him. Alfred didn't understand why it had attacked the Death Eaters. Confused, he hastily lifted Arthur's wand and prepared to defend himself against a wild rampage. The wolf froze, and some familiar flicker in the animal's green eyes made Alfred pause.

The wolf's eyes looked sad.

Its eyes looked human.

They were _green_.

"Arthur?" Alfred asked, his head spinning. The wand dropped from his limp fingers when he saw the werewolf nod back at him. "Oh my god."

"Get down!" he could hear several students yelling. He even saw them lift their wands. His heart dropped to the ground. Everyone knew that werewolves worked for Lord Voldemort. But Alfred knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that Arthur was on _his_ side. He finally understood what Arthur had meant, what Arthur had been hinting at all year. Still, Arthur was wrong to think that it would change how Alfred felt. He saw now that it was a simple matter of love and hate; and he loved Arthur more than he hated werewolves. Alfred stumbled forward and jumped in front of Arthur as the students began to cast their spells. The last thing he heard, before everything went black, was a mournful howl.

* * *

_Except_...

Alfred woke up in a hospital bed as morning sunlight streamed through a nearby window. His body ached and it took a few moments for his memories to begin filtering back into his head. As soon as he remembered the students firing spells at Arthur, his head jerked up. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw a familiar figure slumped against his bed. Arthur had fallen asleep with his head in his folded arms, leaving his hair even messier than usual as it glinted in the sunlight.

As Alfred glanced around the room, he could see that the beds were all filled with people injured during battle. Some were in spell-induced comas, others were covered in burns. He even saw a few people in the process of growing back limbs. Thinking about Colin, he realized that they were the lucky ones.

He had been shocked when Arthur killed the Death Eaters, but now he found it harder to be upset. The Death Eaters would have been just as dead if he had stunned them while they were on a broomstick. And thanks to Arthur's actions, they were both still alive.

Judging by the fact that he had woken up in a hospital bed instead of not waking up at all, Alfred decided that they had probably won the battle against Voldemort's Army. He wanted to feel happy, but mostly he felt numb. And the burning questions in his mind had nothing to do with the Dark Lord. Alfred stretched his fingers down to touch Arthur's hair, just to reassure himself that the other teenager was still alive. As soon as he touched his hair, Arthur snapped awake and glanced quickly around the room. He had a bruise around one eye, but otherwise looked normal.

Alfred stared at him for several moments, trying to spot the wolf in Arthur's features and seeing nothing unusual. He looked like the same grumpy Slytherin who complained when Alfred didn't do his homework, knitted him terrible jumpers over winter break, and kissed him gently in dark, secluded corners.

"So... did we win?" Alfred finally asked.

"Yes." Arthur nodded. "He's dead."

"Dead-dead? Because he wasn't dead enough last time."

Arthur gave him a small smile. "I don't think you need to worry." He leaned in closer to whisper, "Do you feel well enough to get out of bed? We should sneak away before they notice you're awake."

"Are we in trouble?"

"Well, you're going to get a lecture about fighting while underage and I'm going to... I'm not really sure what they're going to tell me," Arthur said. His worried look was all it took to convince Alfred that sneaking out was a good choice.

The nurse was busy helping all of the patients, so it was easy to slip out of the room without her noticing. Alfred followed Arthur down the nearest stairwell and took a deep breath of fresh air as they stepped outside the castle. Although the interior structure of the castle had escaped the battle unscathed, the outside looked like the ruins that muggles saw whenever they wandered too close to Hogwarts. The top of the clock tower was gone and so was the gamekeeper's hut. Alfred could even see the Vampbriars still covering the gaps in the wall, although they had already started to wilt in the sunlight.

By silent agreement, they walked somewhere the battle hadn't touched, following the stairs down to the edge of the dock. Seeing the clear blue skies above the dark lake, Alfred could almost imagine that it was just a normal day at Hogwarts. Except that he knew it was never going to be a normal day for him again.

He turned to look at Arthur. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Do you know how many times you told me that werewolves were evil?" Arthur asked, giving Alfred a very unimpressed look.

"Uh..."

"Twenty times! Twenty-and-a-half if I count the time you ranted about 'animagwolves,' but I generally don't because you were pretty drunk."

"Sorry. I think I ended up puking on your shoes."

"And on my trousers." Arthur sighed. "But you also told me that I was your favorite person in the whole world and that you loved me more than hamburgers."

"I did?" Alfred blushed. "We weren't even dating then!"

"Yes, you can be rather slow on the uptake," Arthur agreed wryly.

"God, I was such an asshole. Why'd you stick with me so long?"

"Well..." Arthur blushed as he tentatively reached for Alfred's hand. "I'm afraid that there are things about myself that I can't change. Like the fact that I'm hopelessly in love with you." After a moment, his gaze hardened. "That was very stupid of you, you know."

Alfred knew he was referring to the night before. "And brave?"

"Mostly stupid. For god's sake, you're a wizard, Alfred! Next time use a shielding spell. When I saw all those stunning spells hit you... and then..." Arthur began to choke up. "You were just lying there and I didn't... I didn't know whether..." He trailed off as he buried his head against Alfred's chest.

Wisely choosing to remain silent, Alfred wrapped his arms around Arthur and gently rubbed his back. His lingering worries about Arthur's lycanthropy melted away. Whatever his affliction, he was still 100% Arthur. The wonderfully sarcastic, angry teddy bear with a soft heart.

"If they won't have you back, let's run away," Alfred suggested.

To Alfred's surprise, Arthur readily agreed.

Still holding hands, they sat down on the dock and dangled their feet above the water as Arthur explained the truth about his affliction. "My parents were attacked during a trip to Switzerland. My mum was pregnant at the time." Arthur gazed thoughtfully across the lake as he dredged up painful memories. "For as long as I can remember, I've been a lycanthrope, but unlike my parents, I remember who I am and I can change at will in the week before a full moon."

"So your parents...?"

"They're werewolves too. My parents hid their affliction from friends and family, allowing them to stay important members of wizarding society. Even the Headmaster didn't know I was a werewolf when I started school. I've always snuck away during full moons on my own. My roommates just thought I studied too much," he explained with a quirk of his lips.

Despite the serious subject, Alfred laughed. "You _do_ study too much."

"It wasn't so bad for most of school. But then my parents began to see the allure in the Dark Lord's side." Arthur sighed and shook his head. "They had plenty of money and good lives, but they were _tired_ of hiding. In the end, the only thing I could do to convince them to stop was tell them that I would expose their secret to the world if they thought about joining you know who."

Alfred's eyes widened; he couldn't decide if he was impressed by or concerned about Arthur's blackmail tactics. "That was what was stressing you out?" he finally asked.

Arthur turned back to look at him. "Yes. That and _you_."

"Oh." Alfred leaned back and gazed up at the peaceful blue sky. He couldn't blame Arthur for having his doubts. Even he wouldn't have expected his reaction.

"Honestly... in all our time together, you never wondered?"

"Never even crossed my mind."

Arthur chuckled. "You are an idiot," he said fondly.

"An idiot who loves you."

"Proving my point," Arthur teased as he leaned in to give Alfred a kiss. Beneath bright blue skies, they embraced in the warmth of a beautiful new day. Of all the kisses they had ever shared, Alfred decided that this one was his favorite.

_...when there's love in-between._

* * *

_(Or in a bonus sex scene.)_

Two months later, Alfred and Arthur watched the fireworks from the rooftop of the tallest building near the American Embassy in London. One of the advantages of being a wizard was that it was never hard to find a good seat. They leaned back on their blanket and played footsie as the rockets blared and burst in mid-air.

"Muggles get the best magic!" Alfred said, grinning with happiness as he watched the last of the fireworks explode into a complicated pattern of red, white, and blue.

"It's not magic. It's a simple oxidation reaction involving a variety of different metals to produce the mmph—"

Alfred cut shut Arthur's long-winded explanation by leaning over to kiss him. As much as he enjoyed Arthur's skills with potions, sometimes he preferred to just enjoy something without having to think about how it worked.

"You should have been in Ravenclaw," Alfred teased when they pulled back for air.

"Seven generations of Kirklands would be spinning in their graves," Arthur said before frowning thoughtfully. "Other than Great-Uncle Bartholomew, of course."

"What happened to him?"

Arthur shrugged. "He became a vampire. Last I heard, he's still running a bed and breakfast for pretty young tourists in Romania. He gives them a bed for the night and they provide breakfast." Seeing Alfred's look of shock, Arthur laughed. "He doesn't _kill_ them, Al. It's more like a blood donation."

"Man, your family is strange."

"Does it bother you?" Arthur asked, tilting his head with a worried expression.

Alfred grinned and puffed out his chest. "Nope! It's just a good thing you've got such a heroic boyfriend."

"Yes, you're so brave," Arthur teased as he batted his eyelashes. "I can't wait to introduce you to the Kirkland family ghosts."

Unsurprisingly, Arthur found himself caught in a death grip, struggling to gasp for breath. Once he managed to gulp in a few mouthfuls of air, he sighed and rubbed Alfred's back soothingly. "You know, if you want your present, you're going to need to let me get it out of the bag," he suggested, hoping to distract Alfred from his fear of G-H-O-S-T-S.

As easily distracted as a puppy, Alfred instantly let go. "Present?" he asked eagerly.

Reaching for the bag laying next to them, Arthur began digging around in the extra-dimensional space until he found the wrapped box and a little jar. He set them both on the blanket and pressed the box into Alfred's hands. "Happy Birthday, Al."

With a joyful expression, Alfred ripped off the wrapping paper and opened the box. His eyes sparkled when he saw what was inside. Alfred lifted the oak wand out of the box and tested it with a small flick of his wrist. The wrapping paper floated up into the air and Alfred's grin widened. "It's perfect! How did you get this?"

With a mysterious smile, Arthur just shook his head. "I have my ways."

"It's awesome! Thank you!" Alfred gushed as he pulled Arthur into a warm hug. They relaxed against each other for a moment in the warm evening air before Alfred's gaze dropped down to the jar lying next to Arthur. "So what's in the jar?" he asked.

Arthur flushed. "That's... really more for me."

"Luckie Lotts Every Flavour Lube?" Alfred read aloud, his face growing warm. "Oh."

"Only if you want to..."

"I do!" Alfred tackled Arthur onto the blanket and smiled widely. He pressed another kiss to Arthur's lips and then let his hands travel down Arthur's sides until he reached the base of Arthur's shirt. With tender eagerness, he helped the other teen tug the shirt over the top of his head, leaving his lean chest exposed to the warm summer air.

Feeling bold, Alfred pressed hot and heavy kisses down Arthur's collarbone, along his chest, until he reached Arthur's perky red nipple. He began to caress the nipple with his tongue, and his efforts were quickly rewarded with gasping moans as Arthur arched up and returned the favor by yanking off Alfred's shirt.

"Let me," Arthur breathed, scooting underneath Alfred as he began to unzip Alfred's jeans. Realizing what Arthur intended to do, Alfred was already half-hard by the time Arthur had pulled Alfred's boxers down to his knees. His cheeks flushed with excitement, Arthur coated Alfred's cock with a thick layer of lube. And then closing his eyes, Arthur leaned forward and started to suck.

"Nnh..." Alfred had masturbated before. He loved masturbating. But it was nothing compared to the feeling of someone else licking and teasing his cock. He always knew what his own hand was going to do. By contrast, the way Arthur's tongue moved was a constant—and very pleasant—surprise.

"Ooh, I think this is cinnamon!" Arthur murmured, licking his lips before he swallowed Alfred's entire cock.

Alfred gasped and gripped the blanket tightly. Pleasure coiled deep within the base of his spine. He ached to jerk forward into Arthur's soft, warm mouth. As Arthur started to move back and forth, waves of pure bliss crashed through his body. He wondered if they had started lighting off more fireworks, because he could see sparks at the edge of his vision. Alfred felt himself cresting and panicked. "Stop!" he gasped.

"What's wrong?" Arthur pulled back with a look of surprise.

"Ah!" Unable to stop himself, Alfred spilled his seed all over the blanket. Despite his haze of euphoria, his blush deepened. "Shit," he muttered to himself.

Realizing why Alfred had wanted him to pull back, Arthur gave him a fond smile. "Don't worry, Al. I'm sure you'll be ready again when I'm ready."

"Yeah?" Alfred gazed at him eagerly. He sucked in his breath as he watched Arthur slowly lick the lube off one of his fingers. Eager to try the flavored lube for himself, Alfred bent forward and sucked Arthur's finger. "Awesome! Strawberry!" he said, licking the finger eagerly to enjoy the delicious taste.

While Alfred continued to suck on his finger, Arthur flushed deeply and relaxed against the blanket, panting breathlessly. His eyes glazed over with barely restrained lust as Alfred licked every drop of lube off his finger. Rapidly coming undone, Arthur closed his eyes and gasped, his lips parting in pleasure.

Enjoying how easy it was to turn Arthur into a flushed and moaning, hot and shuddering mess, Alfred wrapped his mouth around a different finger and continued sucking as Arthur writhed beneath him.

"Stop... toying with... my fingers," Arthur panted. "And finger _me_."

Eager to please, Alfred tugged off Arthur's trousers and underpants with a single jerk as the other teen helped him by lifting up his hips.

Arthur rolled on his knees, exposing his beautiful ass to the heavens above. Giving in to temptation, Alfred dipped one of his fingers into the jar of lube and slowly eased the tip of his lubricated finger into Arthur's tight ring of muscles. He slowed down as he felt Arthur begin to shudder.

"You okay?" he asked.

"So _good_ ," Arthur moaned into the blanket.

Alfred slowly pressed the finger deeper as Arthur continued to moan with wanton pleasure. Experimentally, he moved the finger back and forth a few times. He must have done _something_ right, because Arthur suddenly gasped in pure bliss.

"God, yes!" Arthur cried. "There!"

Eager to please, Alfred kept trying to hit the same spot with the tip of his finger while Arthur shuddered and moaned deliriously with pleasure. Alfred moved faster and faster, reaching down with his other hand to palm his own hardening erection. Arthur was so tight around his finger, he couldn't imagine how good it would feel when he pressed his cock into Arthur's warm flesh. Passion pumped through his veins as his vision narrowed to the firm ass in front of him.

"Oh, fuck! _Alfred_!"

He felt a moment of surprise when Arthur's sphincter suddenly tightened around his finger and then completely relaxed as Arthur collapsed onto the blanket. The surprise disappeared when he glanced between Arthur's legs to see the sticky mess Arthur had left behind.

"That good?" Alfred asked, feeling pleased with himself as he pulled out his finger.

Arthur rolled onto his side and gave Alfred a dopey smile. "So good," he mumbled, his green irises barely visible through his half-lidded eyes.

The warm coil in Alfred's stomach tightened as he continued to jerk off while admiring the naked body sprawled in front of him. Arthur seemed content to blink at him drowsily, still riding his orgasmic high. Now that he knew he could turn Arthur into a satiated puddle with just a single finger, Alfred couldn't wait to try again. What would happen if he pounded that spot with his cock? Would Arthur jizz from just one thrust?

Fantasizing about making Arthur come over and over again throughout the night, Alfred gasped and added another load to the stiffening blanket. He knew it was going to be a mess in the morning, but he was too sated and lazy to care. With a relaxed grin, Alfred lay down next to Arthur and wrapped the other teen in his arms.

"We have gotta try that again tomorrow," Alfred suggested.

Arthur yawned. "Need a new blanket," he mumbled.

"Yeah," Alfred agreed as he nuzzled Arthur's shoulder. The intense orgasm must have exhausted Arthur, because he fell asleep within minutes. Alfred smiled fondly at the sleeping werewolf. Arthur never got enough sleep in the days leading up to a full moon, so it was good to have a new way to tire him out and make him get a good night's sleep. Alfred rested his head against the blanket and thought happily about their plans for the next two months. During the day, Alfred would continue to research the animagus spell, so he would have a way to stay with Arthur during a full moon. Personally, he hoped his inner animal was a big dog. And at night... well, he was going to keep doing his best to make Arthur the happiest werewolf in the world.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for the fun prompt, Lisacreature! Probably not as many sex scenes as you wanted, but I hope you enjoyed it.
> 
> "Red and green should never be seen, except upon an Irish Queen" is a Victorian saying with the useful fashion advice of discouraging one from wearing red and green together. I thought it was a cute way to tie together Gryffindor, Slytherin, and Christmas.
> 
> For the curious, here's the original prompt: "Hogwarts AU: Alfred (Gryffindor) and Arthur (Slytherin) during the dark days before the outbreak of the second war with Voldemort, Alfred and Arthur find it harder and harder to keep their relationship a secret. Still together till the Battle of Hogwarts where Alfred and Arthur are trying to find each other through the chaos and finally find each other and fight together! (add as many sex scenes as you want but please Arthur be bottom/uke but not whiny, he has to BAMF!) The ending is again up to you (eep!)."


End file.
